Winter Is Coming

It is a rainy, dreary October day. The corn is being picked by our renters and the Farmers Markets are getting ready to close which means the growing season is coming to an end. It is also time to start preparing for the winter season. One of the bigger jobs is putting up the snow fence. This is where you strategically place fencing so the snow will pile up there instead of in the driveway. This makes keeping the driveway clear a much easier job. We still have to replace the tractor which is now in Florida. It truly made my brother’s retirement hit home when he pulled in, loaded the BN on the trailer and headed out. I am praying we find one pretty soon as our storage clients are coming in for the season. Our storage people arriving becomes another indication of the impending change of seasons. It is a fact of life in Michigan. We have very definitive season changes. We also put plastic over the windows to help with keeping the heat in and cold out. It is always kind of a sad day when it goes up as you loose part of the clarity of seeing outside.
Winter used to be one of my favorite seasons as a kid. Getting the “Flying Saucers”, toboggan , and skis out was enjoyed by all three of us. Sometimes we would go slightly down the road, climb the fence, and go sliding on the hill at the neighbors which we saw as much better than the hills at home. You could go faster and farther because the hill was steeper. You did have to look out so you didn’t land in the creek. That would have been a very COLD experience. Sometimes we could even talk Mom into making hot chocolate for us when we would come in. It wasn’t the instant kind most of us think of today. Mom would warm up the milk, add coco, sugar, and vanilla for a great treat. We would always ask if there were marshmallows to make it even tastier.
Another winter job was digging out the driveway. I personally didn’t end up doing too much of it with my brothers ending up with that work. I would try and help out where I could. When we bought the tractor that could handle a snow plow we kids all thought that was great. The job could be done much faster and easier, not to mention the fact we didn’t have to go outdoors and face the cold. Sometimes we would even ride along when Daddy would go to plow out the grandparents driveways. Later on Daddy bought a snow blower for the big tractor but it ended up not getting much use as most of the time the snow was too wet or heavy for it to do a good job. I try to help out once in awhile nowadays but I can’t run the snow blower so a shovel is the tool for me. I will confess that moving south to be by our son and daughter in law sounds good for the simple fact of NOT having to shovel the white stuff. Of course there are other reasons the thought of moving is appealing. Those are for another time.
As the growing season comes to an end, I think ahead to the months where the farm land will get a little rest. Even the winter wheat lies dormant during the winter. God allows for a rest period so the land can recover for another year of use. I sometimes wonder if the farmers still allow some fields to lie unused for a year, but I’m thinking they don’t as they want to keep every acre as productive as possible. There are times we, as people, need seasons of rest and rejuvenation. God even took a day of rest after finishing creating the world and its inhabitants. The Bible tells us he saw it as “Good”. We don’t see Sunday as a day of rest like we used to in years past. Stores and restaurants are open, and other activities are planned pretty much like it is any other day of the week. We cram our lives as full as possible. In some ways you long for the days where Sunday was seen as a different day even by those who don’t accept the Christian faith. We need to get back to having a time of rest for many reasons. This hustle and bustle, always connected world wears on us. It is easy to see why people can have such a hard time to be “still and know that I am God.” You have to hide all your electronic devices and at times shut off the ringer on your phones to kind of hide from the world. May God teach us how to quiet our lives once more to rest in Him and refresh ourselves.